Horizontal earth-drill.



No. 658,495. PatentedSept. 25, 1900. H. E. .WILLIAMS.,

HORIZONTAL EARTH DRILL.

(Application led Aug. 22, 1899A (mi Modal.) z sheets-sheet l.

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N0. 658,495. Patented Sept. 25, |900. H. E. WILLIAMS.

HORIZONTAL EARTH DRILL.

(Application med Aug. 2'2, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

ism by which it is rotated, and means for drilled, ahorizontally-journaled shaft carry- .disturbed is difficult to replaceso as to make ilNrTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. I/VILLIAMS, OF SAN JOS, CALIFORNIA.

HORIZONTAL EARTH-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 658,495, datedSeptember 25, 1900.

Serial No. 728,061. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Jos, county of Santa Clara, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Horizontal Earth-Drills; and I hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for drillinghorizontally through the earth. It is especially useful for makingconnections between Water and gas mains and like conductors whicharelaid in the street with the buildings or other points at the sides whichrequire service connections therewith, and it is designed to enable suchconnections to be made Without disturbing the asphalt or other pavementwith which the surface of the street may be covered.

My invention consists of a frame adapted to be set in the line of thehole which is to be ing the boring-tool at the front end, mechanclearingthe hole as it is bored, together with' means for constantly advancingthe boringtool until it has reached its destination.

The invention also comprises details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a general view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection of the front portion of the drill. Fig. 3 is a similar viewthrough the rear portion of the drill. Fig. 4 is a lateral section online oc oc of Fig. 3.

In making service connections of various kinds from gas and water pipes,electric conduits, and the like, the mains of which are usually carriedalong the streets, it has been necessary to dig trenches for the purposeof laying the proper connections, and the pavement or surface ofwhatever description when it again homogeneous and continuous with thatwhich has not been disturbed. It is the object of my invention toprovide an apparatus by which such connections can be easily and quicklymade Without materially disturbing the surface of the street.

The main supporting-frame A may be of any suitable or desireddescription and material, the object being to provide such a frame aswill support a horizontally-journaled boring-shaft with means foradvancing and retracting it, a vertically-journaled drivingshaft withgears by which the two are connected, and means for rotating thevertical shaft, the whole being so constructed that the frame can be setinto a channel or trench which is made at the point Where the Work is tobe commenced. This point may either be near the main with whichconnection is to be made when the said main is carried along the side ofthe street, or it may commence at a point near the curb if the m'ain iscentrally located, or it may be otherwise arranged to suit theconditions of the parts where the connection is to be made. In the'present case I have illustrated it as being placed in a trench which issunk near the curb of the street to a depth which will bring theboring-shaft in the desired line. For convenience in constructing theframe may consist of two rectangular portions a, one at the top and theother at the bottom, and vertical guiding-posts a/ at the corners. Theseposts may be made tubular,

and rods extend'through them with screwthreads upon the ends, upon whichnuts can be afterward screwed to bind lthe Whole together. Across theupper part of the frame is journaled a shaftB, with cranks or otherequivalent driving devices O, by which it may be rotated. Upon thisshaft is fixed a bevelgear D, which engages with a correspondingbevelgear upon the vertically journaled shaft E. This latter shaftextends down to near the bottom of the frame and has also a bevel-gear Ffixed upon it, which meshes with the bevel-gear G, mounted upon ahorizontal shaft H. This shaft turns in boxes I I adjacent to itsdriving-gear and extends forward through the feed-screw J, the front endof which is supported in a box upon the opposite side of the frame, aswill be hereinafter more fully described.

A keyway h is made in the shaft H, and into this a set-screw h or anequivalent device carried by the pinion G enters, so that when said gearG is rotated it acts through the set-screw or feather to rotate theshaft H, while at the same time the keyway allows the shaft to be fedforward without disturbing the position of the gear G, which isturnable,

that it forms astop against which the rear l end of the screw abuis andprevents the screwfrom sliding in this direction on the shaft. Theforward end of the screw passes through a fixed nut L, which issupportedA upon the lower rectangular portion of the frame.

O is a hand-wheel or other feed device se cured to the barrel of thescrew by a setscrew P, so that when the hand-wheel is turned the screwwill be advanced through the nut L, as may be desired.

The shaft H extends through the screw? and at the front end isscrew-threaded and has a sleeve or coupling Q, by which it may beconnected with the boring-tool R. This tool `may be of any suitabledescription. I

have found that a flat twisted auger-shaped blade is very suitable forthe purpose where the work is being done in soft earth.

The

diameter of this boring-tool is sufficient toI make a hole which willadmit a pipe of `the desired size, from the size of a small Water or gaspipe up to a sewer-pipe connection, if the i ened, and the material iscarried backwardly By thus supplying wal along the shank of theboring-tool as fast as the latter advances, and it may thus be adlvanced a distance equal to the length of the feed-screw before it isnecessary to stop.

In order to supply water to the interior of the tube H and itsconnections, I have shown a T-coupling S of suiiicient diameter toreceive the bushing T, which surrounds the forl ward end of the pipe H.Screw-threaded end pieces U loosely surround the shaft H and are screwedinto the ends of the coupling S, so that when the side branch of theT-coupling is connected with a hose or other source of water-supplywhich prevents the coupling from turning the shaft H and the bushing T jturn freely inside of the coupling andv its end supports U. The wateradmitted into the coupling surrounds the bushing T, which is 1 ofsmaller diameter than the interior of the coupling S, and by means ofholes t, made radially through the coupling and the interior tubularportion of the shaft H, the water can pass freely into the shaft andthence through the hollow shank R of the boring-tool and the openings frinto the hole.,

In order to prevent leakage between the ends U of the coupling S and theshaft H, I

have shown washers u, fitted between the bushing T and the ends U, whichform a sufficiently-tight joint for the purpose. When the screw isadvanced by rotating it within its screwthreaded box L, it will alsoforce the shaft H and the boring-tool forward with it, `and the shaftbeing rotated by the mechanism, as previously described, will cause thetool to bore its way into the earth, and the latter being softenedv bythe water and prevented from clogging will be carried back into the pitin which the machine stands, from which it can be removed as required.

When the tool has been fed forward a distance equal to the length of thefeed-screw J, the device may be retracted by turning the screw P, `whichpasses through the hub of the hand-wheel O until it also contacts withthe shaft H within the screw J. Then by reversing the movement of thedriving-shaft the screw J will be caused to travel backward through itsnut L until it is withdrawn to its most rearward position. It is thennecessary to add another section of tubular shaft, which is similar inall respects tothe shaft H, and by coupling the front end of such asection with the shank R of the boring-tool, then connecting therear-end of the section with the coupling Q or `a similar one, the toolis ready TOO a hole at the opposite side of the pit in which theframework is placed to receive the rear end of this shaft when it isbeing withdrawn to receivea new section after each forward advance. Thiscan be easily done by fitting 1 the boring-tool upon this end of theshaft and boring the necessary depthof hole in that direction, afterwhich it is placed upon the forward end.

The pit is made of such depth as to allow the apparatus to be placed atthe `desired level below the surface of the street, as shown, and byleveling the frame with horizontal and vertical levelsI am enabled todrive a hole as far as may be necessary in the widest street and arriveat .the desired point with very little variation and near enough to makethe proper connections.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

An improved earth-drill comprising a framework consisting of tworectangular portions one at the top and the other at. the bottom, andvertical guiding-posts at the corners, said upper and lower portionsprovided with journal-boxes, a horizontal shaft mounted in the lowerboxes and a hollow feed screw through which the shaft passes, said screwhaving its forward end mounted in one of zontal shaft having a hollowfront end, and the lower boxes, a vertical shaft and gears means foradmitting water to the interiorl of between the same and the horizontalshaft, said shaft. one of said gears located between adjacent In witnesswhereof I have hereunto set my 5 boxes and splined on the horizontalshaft, a hand.

collar against which the feed-screw abuts and a Xed nut in which thefront end of said HERBERT E' WILLIAMS' screw works, means for rotatingthe screw, a Witnesses: boring-tool and means for coupling it to the S.H. NOURSE, :o front end of the horizontal shaft said hor- JESSIE O.BRODIE.

